Loyola University Maryland captured the first Patriot League Championship in school history Saturday afternoon, when the top-seeded and 13th-ranked women’s lacrosse team stormed past Boston University at Ridley Athletic Complex, 18-7, to complete its undefeated record in the conference.
The Greyhounds (14-4 overall, 8-0 Patriot League) endured a much tougher challenge during Thursday’s Patriot League semifinal against Holy Cross, which Loyola won 14-10. The Hounds will take a 12-game winning streak into next Saturday’s game against No. 2 Syracuse before making their fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Senior Marlee Paton finished the tournament with eight goals and 10 points, garnering MVP honors.
“I’ve been privileged enough to appear [in the NCAA Tournament] four times throughout my college career, and it’s really cool,” Paton said. “To do it with this group is really special, and to make our mark on the Patriot League conference is definitely an honor.”
The Terriers (9-10, 5-3 PL) struck first in the title game on a free position goal by Lindsay Weiner in the game’s third minute. Loyola’s defense came up big after that, holding Boston University scoreless for the next 22 minutes.
It took the Greyhounds a little over 10 minutes to score their first goal, but they poured it on from there. Redshirt Junior Taryn VanThof notched the unassisted score to put the Hounds on the board with 19:12 remaining in the first half.
Juniors Kara Burke and Hannah Schmitt would score the next two goals for Loyola, before Paton found the back of the net to give the Greyhounds a 4-1 lead. Burke and Paton would both finish the game with five goals to lead all players.
By the time Jill Horka scored the Terriers’ second goal of the day with 5:52 before halftime, the Hounds’ offensive attack had already put up eight on the board.
With just 0.1 seconds left before the half, Mallory Collins scored a goal for the Terriers that just barely beat the horn, but the last-second score merely left a dent in Loyola’s lead, as the Hounds went into the locker room with a commanding 11-3 advantage.
Loyola didn’t let up in the second half, finding the net seven more times. Thirty minutes later, the Greyhounds hoisted their first-ever Patriot League trophy.
Thursday’s semifinal game against Holy Cross (7-12, 4-4 PL) was not a cakewalk for the Greyhounds, despite Loyola’s 19-5 win over the Crusaders during the regular season. Senior Ali Habicht and junior Molly Hulseman scored back-to-back goals for the Hounds in the game’s first four minutes, but Holy Cross responded with a 5-1 run to put Loyola in an early hole.
With the game tied at six apiece at halftime, Sara Hennessey found the back of the net to give the Crusaders a 7-6 lead to start the second half. However, the Greyhounds would take control of the game with five unanswered goals to give them an 11-7 lead, and Loyola would never look back on its way to a 14-10 victory.
Schmitt, VanThof and sophomore Maddy Lesher joined Tournament MVP Paton on the All-Patriot League Tournament Team.
“I’m very proud of the girls,” Patriot League Coach of the Year Jen Adams said after Saturday’s title game. “Nothing was easy here in the Patriot League, and our girls had to earn it, and that’s just what they did today.”